CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Jefferson County residents would have the chance to vote on casino table games at Charles Town Races & Slots, but if approved, they would have to wait a minimum of five years before they could vote again on the games' fate at the track, according to a proposal discussed Monday. Track officials maintain they need to have casino table games to stay ahead of gambling competition in other states. A bill was considered in the Legislature earlier this year to allow casino table games at the state's four racetracks, but it was criticized by lawmakers and other officials because it proposed to take away the rights of Jefferson County voters to control gaming at the track through elections.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - Whether or not casino table games are good for Jefferson County has not been a clear issue in the run up to the June 9 referendum on the games and the subject continued to be a source of debate during a forum Thursday night. Although casino table games are projected to funnel an estimated $1.5 million annually to Jefferson County Schools, concern was raised during the forum at the Charles Town Library whether the school system will have oversight in the collection of money that is to go to the school system.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Thanksgiving Day might not be too lucky for turkeys, but that didn't keep people away from the Charles Town Races Thursday afternoon. While gambling on horses and playing the video slots may not be considered a holiday tradition, Jerry Durbin of Charles Town said betting the races beats spending the day in a house full of children. --cont. from front page -- "I've got 12 grandkids with my daughter at the house," Durbin said. "I'm too old for that.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - A group of local elected officials, including three members of the Jefferson County Commission, met Wednesday and discussed taking a position on casino table games for Charles Town Races & Slots. At the council of governments meeting Wednesday at the Charles Town Visitors Center, members discussed a possible resolution on casino table games. Ranson Mayor David Hamill said the city wants to support the games and he discussed in a letter to the commission a possible resolution in support of table games.

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) -- The PGA Tour is returning to the once-elite Greenbrier for the first time in 15 years, officials said Wednesday, just months after the resort's new owner promised to bring back a major tournament. Owner Jim Justice made that pledge in May, and his wish came full-circle with the announcement from PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem that The Greenbrier will hold a tournament over the next six years. It marks the first large-scale event at The Greenbrier since the U.S. women beat Europe in the 1994 Solheim Cup. The move was part of Justice's strategy to restore the shine to a resort and 721-room hotel that once hosted presidents and royalty.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - House Majority Leader Joe DeLong said Monday he doubts the Legislature will revisit a casino table games law it recently passed because lawmakers wanted to get the issue behind them. Del. John Doyle, an outspoken opponent of the casino table games proposal that was rejected by county voters in a referendum Saturday, said before the election that voters should reject the games until a better deal is offered. Doyle, D-Jefferson, argued that the county would not get a fair share of gambling proceeds from the games if they were approved for Charles Town Races & Slots.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - More than 100 people turned out Wednesday night at a public forum at Shepherd University to hear supporters and opponents of casino table games put forth their best arguments for their stances on the games. Del. John Doyle, D-Jefferson, joined local pastor Douglas Fraim in an argument against the games as the two talked about the "paltry" deal the county will get out of the games and the threat of crime problems like prostitution. Table games supporters Walter Pellish and Alan Sturm emphasized the millions of dollars in revenue that county schools will enjoy if the games are introduced, and the good jobs at the track that would be created.

By JULIE E. GREENE / Staff Writer photo: RIC DUGAN / staff photographer CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Bonnie Osman has been to Atlantic City for New Year's Eve, she's seen the ball drop in Times Square in New York City and she's seen the pickle drop in her hometown of Dillsburg, Pa. This year Osman, her husband and her godfather decided to ring in 2000 at Charles Town Races. "We love to come down here to West Virginia because everyone's so friendly and it's a great state to come to to gamble," Osman said.

Editor's note: Tim Rowland is on vacation. This column originally ran in The Morning Herald on Feb. 6, 2003. Excellent, it's all coming together. For years I've been saying that we don't need slot machines just at Maryland racetracks, we need slots in many more convenient locations - preferably on everyone's front porch. Problem there, is that we may run into a few of those "private property" wackos who might believe it an infringement on their "rights" if the government were to forcibly install a slot machine next to the rose trellis.

Where's the 'liberal media' when you need them? To the editor: There is a major story that the so-called liberal news media are not covering. CNN had a two-minute story on it last week. It's about a factory in Freeport, Ill., that made sensors for cars. Bain Capital bought the factory in 2006. In January of last year the employees were told that they were moving to China at the end of this year. The company's profits for the first two quarters of this year were $972 million.

Stephen Barker Liles of country music duo Love and Theft guarantees that fans who attend their show at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at the H Lounge at Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, will have a good time. “Eric and I love casinos, so we'll be real hyped to be there. We're very upbeat and have a very harmony-driven show. And we're looking forward to having a good time. We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we're definitely gonna have a good show,” Liles said during a telephone interview from Toronto.

It was seeing Michael Jackson perform the moonwalk that changed everything for a young Baltimore boy. “It was something about that moment that was kind of magical,” said SisQo during a telephone interview from his Maryland home. He had just gotten back from performing in Kuwait and Dubai. Raised in Baltimore, SisQo was 4 years old when he saw Jackson perform the dance move during the 1983 “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” television special. “The way I felt when I saw him do that, I knew that's what I wanted to do, make somebody have that same feeling,” he said.

Rocky Gap Casino Resort's Human Resources department will hold a job fair this weekend in Cumberland. The job fair will be held Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Allegany College of Maryland's Cumberland Campus, 12401 Willowbrook Road in Cumberland, resort personnel said in an emailed news release. The job fair will be in rooms 12, 13, and 14 in the Continuing Education Building. During the job fair, Human Resources representatives from Rocky Gap Casino Resort will be looking for approximately 50 people to fill such positions as cooks, servers, housekeepers, environmental services (janitorial)

Much to the delight of his relatives and friends, Elgin Baylor Lumpkin danced during family cookouts and reunions when he was growing up. “Michael Jackson or something used to come on and I'd be off to the races. They'd start screaming and rooting me on, and that was appealing to me. I really found some comfort in stuff like that. It just felt good to feel appreciated, to feel like you can make people feel good,” Lumpkin, now better known by his stage name, Ginuwine, said during a telephone interview from the kitchen of his home in Brandywine, Md. But his talent went further than receiving praise from his family.

A bill to significantly cut the number of racing days at West Virginia's two horse and two dog tracks has failed to come out of committee, state Sen. Herb Snyder said Thursday. “Senate Bill 455 is not going anywhere,” Snyder said. The bill called for scaling back racing at all four tracks from 220 days a year to 150, a move that could force many horsemen to quit racing because fewer race days mean fewer purses, Randy Funkhouser, president of the 1,500-plus member Horsemen's Benovolent and Protective Association (HBPA)

The inaugural Hollywood Poker Open (HPO) is coming to the Mid-Atlantic. Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in Charles Town, W.Va., will host the only HPO regional tournament in the East from Thursday, March 21 through Monday, April 1. The action culminates with the main event on Thursday, March 28, through April 1. The top finisher walks away with first place cash and a $2,500 seat in the $500,000 Guaranteed HPO Championship at the M Resort in...

Everclear frontman and founder Art Alexakis might be 50 years old, but that's doesn't mean he's forgotten how to rock. "I think the one thing that when people go to see Everclear is that they're not prepared for how loud and rowdy we are as a rock band," he said during a telephone interview from his Pasadena, Calif., home. "We're a pretty rockin' band. " Everclear, which is best known for such hits as "Father of Mine," "AM Radio" and "I Will Buy You A New Life," will perform Saturday night at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, H Lounge, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, W.Va.

The music industry might have taken the kid out of Hell's Kitchen, N.Y., but for 1980s hip-hop and R&B artist Lisa Lisa, it never took it out of her heart. Best known for being one-third of Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with such hits as “All Cried Out” and “Lost in Emotion,” the 47-year-old artist lives in Long Island, N.Y., with her family, which includes sons ages 6 and 8. And though her life has taken her all over the world, she's still quick to point out that she's from Hell's Kitchen.

A New York woman faces up to 10 years in prison for fraudulently obtaining cash from at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld II said Monday that 29-year-old Rebecca Hill of Jamaica, Queens, pleaded guilty to using a counterfeit access device at the casino in Charles Town, W.Va. Ihlenfeld said Hill used a counterfeit credit card to obtain a cash advance at the casino in 2010. Hill entered her plea recently in federal court in Martinsburg.

Two brothers were being held without bond at Franklin County Jail on Thursday, facing several charges, including attempted homicide, police said. Pennsylvania State Police said they charged Jemoni L. Ghee, 21, and Jelani Q. Ghee, 25, related to the assault of a 28-year-old who is being treated at York (Pa.) Hospital for serious injuries. Clarence H. Green Jr., of Chambersburg, was listed in serious condition Thursday night, according to a hospital spokeswoman. Both Ghee men also are charged with aggravated assault and robbery.